System of fuel-supply for hydrocarbon-burners.



efiiditizen .ofthe United States, residing at- STATES PAT T OFFICE- I tene ortru v, MASSACHUSETTS, AssmNoaBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A- CORPORATION'OF NEW YORK.

' v 'srs'rnu or rUEL-s'UPPLY roe nYnRocARBoN-sURNEns.

i boa-23s.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. o, 190s.

- ofl 'i u'ai ntsug meu my 15, use, Serial no.- vzaeoo. Divided and this application filed May 1a, 1903.

v Serial No. 157,546.

all whom may concern: Be it known that'I, HERMANN.LEMP, a

Lynm'county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Systems of Fuel- Sup ly for Hydrocarbon-Burners,of which the foll'owin'g is aspecification.

This application is a division of my prior pending application, Serial N0.'723,900, filed uly 15, 1899, which division is made'at the requirement of the-Patent Ofiice underthe provisions of Rules41 and 42.

I My invention relates to fuel systems, and

more especially to those employed in connection with power systems, such'as automo' biles for example, where the variations" indemand for heat vary between-wide limits.

i f In-order to successfully operate a hydrocarbon vapor burner,' it is necessary to sup-. ply fuel thereto under a relatively high pres-' sure. It is the commonpractice to do this by subjecting the fuel tank to an air pressure 1 which is snfliciently high to feed the neces- 125 amount of fuel tothe burner under maximumconditions. of operation, and to regulating device. This practice is highly connection ,is liable to cause the destructionof the vehicle by fire and possibly injure the,

placebetween the tank and burner a suitable oblactionable, particularly. where gasolene is employed as a fuel; b'eca'use'a broken pipe or operator.

. My'nvention has for its obj ect to overcome the objection above pointed out, and to pro,- vide a system vh'erein the pressure on the fuel supply tank can be 'made so small as to gible together with suitable means for supp ying the fuel to the burner under such a pressure as is best adapted for the work to be performed, and further to provide a system in which the supply of fuel is automatically controlled in accordance with'the pressure of the engine as distinished from those systems in wlnch the iler pressure determines the regulation.

. In carrying out my invention, a fuel tank orothersuitablesource of supply is placed under a small initial pressure by a suitable means, such as a manually actuated air This pressure 1s sufiic1ent to malntam th'e fire underbankd conditions, but is liot intended for operating condit ons. Be-

" burner is a power pump which receives fuel from the former and deliversit tothe latter under the desired pressure. In this manner high pressure, the amount being dependent upon the capacity of the pipes, burner,ietc. Also connected to the tank is a second pipe or connection Which',-when the fire is banked or in starting, conveys fuel to the fire chammay besmall, such as five to ten pounds, for

pass valve which is weighted or controlled y the pressure on the engine as. distinguished from those systems wherein the steam' pressureon the boiler is used for regulating purposes. Whenthe engine pressure maximumamount of fuel, the by-pass valve from the pump, up to a predetermined'maxi- "mum, goes into it. "When the engine pressure decreases to a certain extent, the bypass valve opens more or less and .permitsalocal or short circuit to be created around the burner.

For a consideration-of'what I believe to to the accompanying description -and'claims appended thereto. In the accompanying drawing, which rep-j of a steam engine, boiler and necessary piping of the fuel system, and Fig. 2 is a sectiona l View of'a regulating valve.

.fiash boiler, and may be of any desired construction, the one shown consisting of a seamless tube 1 coiled or bent in any suitable manner so as to present alarge surface to the burner flame. Surrounding the her, is a casing or lining 2, composed of firebrlck or other heat-resisting material which confines the burner flame, andat the same having a closed bottom, and a top provided with 'an extensioncontaining an opening through which the products of combustion example. In this pipe or connection is a byis firmly held on its seat, and all of the oil be novel and my invention, attention is'called- The boiler is of the type known as at-ube or tubes, and. constituting a fire cham-' tween theitank and the fire chamber or only a ver small amount of fuel is under berfunderthe initial tank pressure, which is high, showing that the burner needs a Y resents an embodiment of my invention,' Flgure 1 1s a diagrammatic representation time shields the'body of-the vehicle or other supportfrom excessive heat. Surrounding the fire-brick lining is a metallic casing 3. I

1 the burner.

inaypass. A cover is provided for the opening, which may be closed after the apparatus is started. The top or cover is also pro- A air may enter, as indicated by the arrows, to

combine with the fuel. Any suitable type ,of engine may be employed in connection with my invention for driving the vehicle, the one shown being a single-acting vertical engine.

One end of the cylinder 7 is connected With the 'boiler by pipe 8, and the admission of steam thereto is regulated by the throttle 9. The exhaust from the cylinder passes through the pipe 10 to the chamber 4 over the boiler, thence to the external air by the down-flue 5.

. pendent of the engine, as certain For the purpose of supplying fuel to the burner, a pump'is provided which is either directly driven by the main shaft of the engine, or through suitable gearing. So long as the action of the pump varies with the speed of the engine, or what is the same, the speed of the vehicle, the results will be satisfactory, irrespective of the particularv means employed in the driving.

. I prefer to use thearrangement described, on account of the economy of operation, but I do. not mean to be understood as excluding from my invention structures wherein the pump is driven at a constant or approximately constant speed, .either by or indeadvantages will follow in these cases.

As illustrated in the drawing, 12 represents an oil pump, preferably .of the d1splacement type. The pump is made of sub-v stantial size, requiring no careful adjustments, and is capable at all timesof furnishing an excess of fuel; a suitable device being arranged to automatically take care of the excess.

One side of the cylinder of the oil pump 12 is connected to the oil tank 13 by the pipe 14, and the other side is connected to the oil feed-pipe 15 through the pipe 16. Connecting the pipes 14 and 16 is a short piece of pipe containing the check valve 17. The

check valve is so arranged that it permits the liquid fuel or a portion thereof to shunt the pump and-flow from pipe 14 to 16 under the action of the airy or other pressure in the tank, but'prevents its passage in the opposite direction. under pressure from the pump.

' cylinder.

In addition to this the pipes are cdiinected by two short sections of pipe'18 and 19 which constitute a by-pass for the pump; and between these sections is an automatic regulating valve 20. The construction of this valve is clearly shown in Fig. 2, in

-whieh 21 represents the casing or base, and

mounted therein is a diaphragm 22. Secured to the casing or base is a cylinder 23, containing a piston 24 arranged to press on the diaphragm 22 and cause the latter to cover the opening leading to fuel pipe 18.

To prevent leakage around the piston an elastic packin 25 is employed, which completely surrounds the piston and is firmly seatedbetween a nut and a shoulder on the,

The ratio of area of the diaphragmand plunger are, roughly, one ;.to six, but this ratio can, of course, bemad'e anything else, depending upon the relative dimensions of the burner and engine: but once this ratio is determined it need not be altered, the throttle valve being used for final adjustment. Secured to the upper end of the cylinder is a pipe 26 which'is directly connected to the steam pipe between the throttle 9 and the engine. Consequently the steam pressure in the pipe 26 corresponds to that on the engine. When, for any reason, the relative pressure in the pipe 26 falls below that in the pipes 15 and 19, the diaphragm rises and permits a certainamount of liquid fuel to pass from pipe 19 to pipe 18, and thence through the pipes 14 and 16, thereby forming a local circuit or by-pass for the pump. As soon as the difference in pressure between the pipes 18 and the'pipe 26 ceases, oil will flow from the tank to the burner. A valve 27 is connected between pipe 15 and the burner, and is employed to out otl' the supply of fuel to the burner nozzle to shut down the system. It also serves to regulate'the amount of fuel delivered to the burner independently of the automatic devices. Under certain conditions of operation, as when the pump is working slowly and the by-pass regulator 20 is closed, the pressure in'the pipe 16 may fall below that in the pipe 14. When this condition occurs, fuel will also connection 17. v

Oil or other fuel is supplied to the burner from a tank 13, and in order to furnish an initial pressure at the time of starting the engine a small hand-pump 28 is employed.

pass to the burner through the- This pressure is ordinarily about five pounds.

'By constantly maintainingthe fuel tank 13 under a small or initial pressure, fuel will be I supplied to the burner or fire chamber at alltimes, whether the power fuel pump isworking or not. 1

The construction described is also advantageous because only a relatively small amount of fuel isv under high .pressure, hence the danger due to broken pipes,particulairliiL if gasolene is employed, is reduced to .a mini- ;mum. The system is so arranged that there are two "connections from the tank to the burner. One of these connections includes the'power-pump 12, while the other connection includes the automaticregulator 20.-

When the diaphragm 22 of the regulator is raised, fuel passes directly from the tank to the burner, but,when the diaphragm is seated, the fuel passes through the power-pump.

' WVhen the pressure due to'the pump and that of the supply tank are somewhere nearly equal, both'the connections will be active.

If, when the pump ceases operating, the valve should stick for any reason and the pressure in the pipes 18 and 19 is not sutficient-to open it, the shunt valve 17 will open under the pressure o fthe fuel due to the which is Well adapted to carry out my in-. vention, but it is to be understood that in I when the system is in service.

.tank and supply the burner sothat the flame will be maintained. In'case the shunt valve 17 and the connectioni'therefor is dispensed with, as in some cases it may be, the fuel will flow from the tank through the pump to the burner should the valve 20 stick, since the valves of the'pump readily open toward the burner. V

I have descrlbed an automatic regulator its broadest aspects my invention includes any equivalent regulating means which will permit the tank to supply fuel to the fire under banked conditions and to the pump The burner can be of anydesired form.

The one shown consists of a plate .or va- Q porizer 29 against which the oil vapor is projected under pressure from a small orifice 30. at .the discharge end of the vaporizer. The size of the opening can be varied by a pin or other device which is carried bythe upper end of the rack 31. The rack is moved by a pinion 32- that is connected to a lever or other suitable actuating device.

Tests made with a vehicle'equipped in accordance with my invention show that under various running conditions the steam pressure onthe. engine will vary proportionately with the work to be performed it being greatest when running on a level at hi 11 speed, or when 'ascending a steep grac e.

The speed of the vehicle can be accurately controlled by the opening and closing of the throttle providing the boiler pressure is maintained practically constant. There eX- ists, therefore, a definite ratio between the steam. pressure necessary to turn the engine and the pressure necessary on the burner;

which ratio is constant through a very Wide range and covers all practical conditions.

The general operation of'my invention is as follows: The burner is first heated by a torch or other auxiliary. device, aft er which.

the valve '27 is opened and fuel from the tank 13 flows through the pipes 18, 19 and '15; thence through the vaporizer to the 'orifice'30 in the nozzle. There being no steam pressure in the pipe 26 at this time, the diaphragm 22 will rise against .the Weight of the piston 24, and permit the fuel to flow to the burner. But if the valve 20 were not open, the fuel would flow through the pump, or through the shunt valve 1.7, if such were employed, or-through both. After the boiler is sufliciently warmed, water is supplied'to the boiler from. a suitable source,

The

steam pressure of the engine will be to that of the boiler, and consequently the pressure '011 the piston 2t will be increased. In other words, a greater pressure will be exerted on 'the fuel service, and more fuel will be consumed in the burner. Closing the throttle 9 will cut ofi the'steam from the engine, the pressure on the steam side of theregulating valve 20 will fall to zero, the pressure which exists in the pipes 15 and 16, due to the pump 12, is suflicient to raise the diaphragm 22 of the regulating valve, and the liquid fuel.

will flow back into the tank 13 against the exists for a few moments in the pipe 15 a comparatively high pressure, even after the air pressure therein. In other words, there pump 12 has ceased to operate. As soon as the pressure drops to that of the fuel tank, the amount of fuel which is forced to the burner will be greatly reduced, but a sufii- I cient amount due to the initial pressure on the tank will flow to maintain the vaporizer and the tubes at a temperature-for immediate starting;

It will be. noted that the forced draft ceases operating substantially at the time when the regulating valve opens, since the throttle cuts off the supply of steam to each simultaneously. This is an important'feature for the reason that the valve permits a.

portion of the fuel in the' connection be tween the pump and the burner to return to the tank so as to quickly relieve the pressure on the burner, and 'thus prevent combustion with considerable odor and smoke as would otherwise be the case. Without the valve' operating in this manner every time the .ve-

hicle is stopped the pressure of the fuel on" the burner would continue relatively high for a certain time, and under natural draft condition the supply of air to the burner v.0uld be insuflicient to enable complete combustion, and therefore, the undesirable results above-mentioned would occur. v

On account of the exhaust passing through I the chamber 4 andthe down-flue 5, any in-J crease in the amount of exhaust will correspondingly increase the draft for, the

burner. Asthe amount of steam admitted to the engine is decreased, the draft on the burner is simultaneously and correspond ingly decreased. This means that the draft on the burner is automatically variedto i meetthe conditions of service.

Hence there will be no choking of the fire gases within the boiler under any condition.

When the system is running, it is evident that the pressure on the steam side of. the

regulating valve 20 must vary due to momentary changes in steam pressure on the engine, caused by changes in speed or load.

Consequently the amount ofloil which flows from the pump to the burner is varied. If the pressure is low, the diaphragm will rise and there will be a local oil circulation, but as soon as more steam is admitted to the engine by opening the throttle, the diaphragm is more or less firmly seated over the end of pipe 18-, and more oil is forced to the burner.

When the vehicle is coasting down the hill or on the level, without steam being supplied ity of the flame, and upon steam being again supplied to the engine the regulator -20 immediarei y closes and prevents the fuel from passing from the pump through the by-pass '18 and 19 so that the pressure on the burner is abruptly brought up to normal and'the intensity ofthe flame increased to equal the demand for heat.

I n 'accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the appa-v ratus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is,--

=l. In a fuel supply system, the combination of a source of fuel under a small head, a fire chamber in which the fuel is burned, a pump for imparting service pressure to the fuel, fuel conduits between the source and the pump and between the pump and the chamber, a conduit receiving fuel from thesounce and having a connection with said fuel conduits between the pumpand fire chamber so that the source may deliver fuel hereto when the service pressure falls bethat of the source, and a regulator in the last mentioned conduit which-normally prevents delivery of fuel from the pump back to the source.

2. In combination, a burner, a source of liquid fuel supply, means for imparting an initial pressure thereto so as to feed fuel to the burner, a pump for further increasing the pressure of the fuel supplied to the burner, connections shunting the pump, and a check valve therein which permits fuel to flow around the pump" to the burner under the pressure on the source. V

3.. In combination, a burner, a tank containing liquid fuel, a pump for placing the contents of the tank under initial pressure, a fuel pump for further increasing the pressure of the fuel supplied to the burner, pipes connecting the tank and pump with the burner, connections shunting the pump, and a check valve therein which permits fuel to ifow to the burnerunder the pressure in the tan r.

I 4. In a system of burner regulation, the combination of a fuel tank, a manually actuated pump for placing the contents of the tank under an init al air pressure, a powerdriven pump for increasing the pressure of fuel supplied to the burner, a burner, fuelcarrying pipes between the tank and pump and the burner, connections which shunt the pump, a check valve-therein which permits fuel to flow to the burner under the pressure in the tank, and a bypass valve for controlling the supply of fuel to the burner.

5. In a fuel-supply system, the combination of .a burner, a source of fuel under a small head sufiieient to supply the burner for conditions of light duty, a pump which receives fuel from and at the pressure of said source, imparts service pressure to the fuel. and delivers it to the burner, supply and dischargeconduits between the source and the pump and between the pump and the burner respectively, a conduit receiving fuel from the source and having a connection with said conduits between thepump and the burner for conveying fuel to the burner when the service conditions are such that the pressure of the source is superior to that due to thepump, a controlling valve in the last-named conduit that is normally closed against the pump pressure and when opened permits fuel to flow from the source to the burner, a conduit between the supply and the discharge conduits which shunts the pump, and a check valve in said conduit which prevents a flow of fuel back-to the pump-when said pump isoperating under service pressure but which permits fuel'to flow from the source to the burner when said controlling valve closed and the pump is not operating. l

6. Tina fuel-supply system, the combination of a fire chamber, a tank and conduit for supplying fuel to the fire chamber at is h'ghtto permit the source to supply the from the tank, increases its pressure to a low pressure,'a pump which receives fuel point sufficient for working purposes and 1 V delivers it to the lire chamber, a boiler for produc ng vapor heated by the fire chain her, and a regulator responsiveto a condition of the vapor produced by the boiler which normally holds said conduit closed to prevent the pump from discharging'back to the source and which opens when the duty fire chamber;

-7. In a fuel-system,thecombination of a' 1 fuel tank subjected to an initial pressure, a

fire chamber to which fuel may flow under the pressure 1n the'tank, a steam generator,

'means for suplying fuel to the chamber at an increased pressure, and. an automatic controlling valve working under steam pressure for regulating the supply of fuelat the different pressures to the fire chamber.

8. In a fuel system, the combination of a fuel tank adapted tobe maintained under an initial pressure, a pumpfor placing the fuel tank under pressure, a burner which may receive fuel at the'pressure in the tank,

: a second pum which is power driven and connected-to t e fuel tank for increasing the pressure-of the fuel supplied to theburner, and anmutomatic regulatorfor regulating the supply of fuel at the different pressures to the burner.

9. Inf a fuel system, the combination of av fuel tank maintained under an initial pressure, a tire chamber which may receive fuel at the pressure in. the tank,'means supplying for supplying air tothe burner, separate fuel supply connections, means arranged to sup-" ply fuel through one connection to the "burner at relatively low pressure for light duty conditions, a device for supplying fuel through the other connection to the burner at a relatively high pressure for normal operating conditions, and means actuated independently of the air supply which cuts one fuel supply into service while cutting the other out of service.v

11. The combination of a burner, separate supply pipes connected therewith, a tank under a relatively low initial pressure for 'sl 1 pplying fuel to the burner through one pipe'to'maintain the flame in banked condition, a pump for supplying fuel through the otherpipe at a pressure to maintain the flame in normal. -'work1ng cond1t1on, and .a

valve. located in one of the supply pipes for ermitting thepressure on the burner to be owered to that on the source and to be raised to thatdue to the pump.

'pum is idle for under conditions of light duty, a second connection receivingflfuel from the tank and discharging it into the fire chamber under conditions of heavy duty, a pump included in the second connection for increasing the pressure of 'the fuel before discharging it to the fire chamber, and a valve which, is on the high pressure side of the pump for 'tpxiic'kly cutting down the pressure by dis- 0 arging fuel back to the tank when the demand for heat is greatly reduced.

.13. The combination of a burner, a tank maintainedunder a relatively low initial pressure, 'aconliection between the tank and the burner, a ump in the connect-ion which supplies fun atrelatively high pressure, a second connection which is connected to the first oonnectionbetween the pump and the rank at one end and between the pump and the burner at the other end and through which fuel is adapted to by-pass around the pump or to pass from the tank to. the burner under the pressure in the former, and a valve in the second connection which permits the fuel to by-pass around the pump or to flow to the burner when open and prevents fuel'from by-passing when closed.

14, The combination of a burner, a liquid fuel tank maintained under a relatively'low' pressure, a pump connected with the tank and the burner which supplies fuel to the burner; at a relatively high pressure for normal operation, a-valve-controlled connection arranged in shunt, relation to the pump through which .fuel feeds to the burner under the pressure in the tank when the preserving the continuity of the ame. 1

15. The combination of a-burner, a liquid fuel tank maintained under a relatively low. pressure, a pump and connections between the tank and the burner for supplying fuel to the latter at a relatively high pressure for normal operation, a connection arranged in shunt relation to the pump, and a valve in the said shunt. connection through which fuel passes to the burner when the pump'is idle and arranged to permit fuel from the I pump to b'y-pass when the demand for heat islight and to prevent the fuel from bypassing whenthe demand for heat is'heavy.

16. The combination-of a burner, a liquid fuel tank maintained under a relatively lowpressure, a pump and connections between the tankand the burner which supply fuel to -the latter at a relatively high pressure, a connection arranged in shunt relation to the multaneously as the pump begins to operate and to open it simultaneously as the pump ceases to operate.

17. In combination, a burner, independent means forsupplying fuel t0 the burner at different pressures respectively, and means which when it checks the operation of one of said supplying means permits the other to come into 0 eration so that an uninterrupted supply of uel to said burner is maintained.

18. The combination of a steam generator,

a burner, means for delivering a main supply I of fuel to the burner,

means for delivering an auxiliary supply of fuel to the burner,

the main and auxiliary supplies discharging 15 diflerent amounts of and means whereby auxiliary supply are out of service while of the flame.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of May, 1903.

, HERMAN N LEMP.

fuel per unit of time, v the main supply and respectively cut into and \Vitnesses: v

DUGAL McK. KILLoP, HENRY O. WESTENDARP.

preserving the continuity 20 

